


QUARANTINE

by QueenInTheSouth



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Eventual Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, F/F, Quarantine, Slow Burn, Swan Queen - Freeform, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenInTheSouth/pseuds/QueenInTheSouth
Summary: A highly contagious and mortal virus gets into Storybrooke, and the whole town has to stay in quarantine. So they can both be with Henry, Regina proposes Emma to live together as long as the quarantine lasts. Could it be a good idea?
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills & Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 13
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been 21 days of mandatory quarantine here in Argentina, and we're still counting. I've been watching OUAT for the first time ever and instantly loved Swan Queen, so here's my first fanfic, inspired on this... situation we are living. The "virus" in this story isn't necessarily Coronavirus, though.  
> This first chapter is very short but there're more to come, so if you like it stay tuned! Also, sorry in advance for any English mistakes since it's not my first language.  
> Take care of yourselves and those around you. Stay at home!

Something wicked loomed over Storybrooke. But it was no dark curse, no. It was a _virus._ Or at least that’s what they said for now. A stranger had arrived to town a week ago and ended up in the hospital, for what seemed to be some respiratory malfunction. He died in a few days.

Regina Mills, as the town’s Mayor, needed to take an urgent measure to prevent any more contagions. One of the dwarves – she couldn’t remember which one; they were all the same to her – who apparently had talked to that foreigner, contracted the virus and then infected one of his brothers; now both of them were hospitalized, isolated and under observation. At first, Regina wondered if this virus was actually some kind of dark magic casted by an unknown foe, so before making any decision, she met with the Charmings – what had she come to, asking the Charmings for advice. Emma Swan, of course, made her know she was being ridiculous. _Regina, I don’t know if in the Enchanted Forest everyone was perfectly healthy and didn’t get sick –_ she had told her sarcastically, and the brunette rolled her eyes – _but this is clearly a virus. We should all stay at home and avoid social contact at least for a couple of weeks, to prevent it from spreading._

Madam Mayor distrusted the Savior’s knowledge on the Health department, so she consulted with Dr Whale, who couldn’t yet determine what caused the disease, only that its symptoms could be high fever, shortness of breath, sore throat, and was extremely contagious, so isolation would be necessary. So Regina ordered a _mandatory quarantine_ throughout the town, forbidding its habitants to get out of their homes, and put a protective spell surrounding Storybrooke so no one could leave or enter. The quarantine would last at least twenty days, starting that midnight, and it could extend if necessary.

Naturally, such an extreme measure provoked controversy and contrary opinions amongst Storybrooke’s habitants, always so prone to chaos and hot headed debates. Leeroy – or that grumpy dwarf, as Regina identified him – was the first to protest, raising his voice, that what would he do twenty days imprisoned in home with the other dwarves, that they would go insane and kill each other with their pickaxes, that they needed to work and go to Granny’s for after office and lasagna, and some more crap to which more and more voices joined in. Snow White managed to calm down the mob, assuring that this was the safest choice for everybody. Regina assured that she would be very severe with anyone who violated the quarantine. Only a few could work, like the sheriffs, the health personnel, and stores that provided the basic necessities. Granny’s would be open only for delivery to nearby houses.

As the crowd scattered, Regina approached Emma before she got away, with an issue that occurred to her when she took the quarantine decision.

“Emma” she said, since now she called her by her name. Especially for what she was about to propose. The blonde turned around, standing in front of her. “We should talk about what to do with Henry.”

“What?”

“Because of the quarantine. I won’t be able to go visit him, and Henry can’t go from one house to the other. I don’t want to be twenty days away from my son.”

“Me neither.” Emma answered quickly, probably thinking Regina would want Henry to come back to her.

“I know.” Regina assured her. She wouldn’t take his son away from her either; the Evil Queen she used to be was gone. “I can’t believe what I’m about to say…” She took a deep breath as Emma’s green eyes looked at her, expectant. “We could stay in my house, the three of us.”

Emma fell silent, looking as though she didn’t understand or had misheard.

"Emma?"

“In your house? Henry,… you and me? For twenty days?”

“It’s the only way both of us can be with him during the quarantine.”

“But…” Emma doubted, frowning. “I won’t be able to see my parents, and neither will Henry.” 

“Swan.” Regina sighed. “I imagine you wouldn’t think both of us, Henry and your parents can live under the same roof for twenty days… It’s time you flew the nest, anyway.”

Emma snorted.

“And fly to your nest?” She asked with irony, and Regina felt attacked.

“Alright, if it’s so unbearable to you the mere idea of living with me, that you prefer not seeing our son for twenty days, do as you please. I won’t leave Henry.”

She turned around ready to go, offended, but froze in place when she felt Emma’s warm and firm hand enveloping her wrist.

“Regina, wait.”

The younger woman pulled on her wrist softly, making her turn around to look at her.

“I didn’t say no.” She said. Regina glanced at the hand still holding her wrist and arched an eyebrow. Emma noticed and quickly let go. “You took me by surprise, that’s all… But yeah, I think that’s the best idea. Specially for Henry.

Regina nodded. The bond between the two of them, even if it wasn’t what one would call a friendship, wasn’t the enmity and competition of a few years ago. They could do this. Both of them had learned to forget their rivalry, for Henry. Even so, in previous occasions Emma had showed her interest in being _her friend,_ heavens know why.

And Regina, deep down, deep, deep, deep down, had become a little fond of Emma Swan. Not that she would ever admit it, hell no.

“Good” she said, relieved that they agreed on this. “Prepare your things and Henry’s. Come home around eight.”

“Do you want me to bring some food?” the blonde offered “Lasagna from Granny’s?”

Regina snorted. She knew she was being nice, but _that_ was almost an insult.

“I’ll make you taste some real lasagna, Miss Swan.”

Emma rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help a smile.

“See you at eight” she said, turning around and going to her yellow Volkswagen.

If someone had told Regina years ago that one day she would invite Emma Swan to live with her, she would have probably laughed her ass off and thrown a fireball at whatever dimwit dared to speak such nonsense. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's been 36 days of quarantine here in Argentina now, it was supposed to end 26/4, but it'll extend to 10th of May. Well, more time to write Swan Queen quarantine lmao. Took me a while to upload this second chapter, because first I upload the Spanish version and then I rewrite it in English. But there'll be more soon so stay tuned. And most importantly, stay safe and at home!

**_The last hours before quarantine._ **

Mary Margaret and David – _Mom and Dad –_ looked ridiculously, exaggeratedly surprised when hearing the news. Astonished. They stared at their daughter as if she had grown a second head and it spin in 360 degrees and spoke in some ancestral tongue. Eyes wide open, mouths agape and _speechless._ It was hard leaving the Charming’s speechless.

Ironically, Emma thought Regina would love the view.

“You’re moving in with Regina?” Mary Margaret finally broke the silence, and she had to clear her throat, so dry after that long open-mouthed pause. She looked at her husband, who couldn’t manage a sound and just kept moving his blue eyes between his wife and daughter, an expression on his face like he was trying to solve an extremely hard math problem. 

“And Henry”. Emma accented the boy’s name, making it clear that she was doing this for him. As if it was necessary to clear that up. “It’s the only way both of us can be with him during the quarantine.”

Mary Margaret nodded, though she still looked doubtful.

“But will you two be able to… coexist?” she asked, worried about her daughter living with the ex Evil Queen. David was still speechless.

“Well, she proposed it to me, which should be a good sign, right?” She answered, shrugging. “Don’t worry. Regina and I are… good. Who knows, maybe this will help us become closer.”

 _Or it will tear us apart definitely –_ whispered a voice in her head, but she ignored it.

Her father gulped and finally spoke.

“Yes, you’re right. Regina has changed, we know that…” he looked at his wife and she nodded. “We’re gonna miss you and Henry, Emma, but it’s important for him to stay close to both his mothers right now.”

“I’ll miss you too” Emma replied, hugging her parents. “But it will be only for a few weeks and we’ll be together again.”

“Of course” Mary Margaret smiled. “If there’s something our family is expert in, is in finding us again.”

In their home, the three of them and Henry were busy packing – most of all clothes and things that belonged to Emma, since good part of the boy’s belongings were still back at his adoptive mother’s place.

Henry reacted quite well at the news. He was obviously surprised, and he would miss his grandparents, but he was more than happy about living with both of his moms, even if it was only for a couple of weeks. Seeing the smile on his face only assured Emma that she was making the right choice.

David and Mary Margaret walked them to the yellow Volkswagen, and once they put the luggage inside they hugged each other goodbye. 

“We’ll miss you guys so much” Snow sighed, her eyes a bit teary.

“Mom, don’t cry.” Emma chuckled “We’re not leaving to another realm. We’ll only be a couple of blocks away, for a few weeks. We’ll talk on the phone every day, I promise, alright?”

“Alright. Then let me hold you tight, now that we still can” her mother said, hugging her with such force that it was almost suffocating, but Emma hugged her back. 

“Take care, guys.” David told them. “Especially you, Emma, when you go to work. We’ll take turns to patrol, okay?”

Emma nodded, and after the four of them hugged together, she and Henry got into the car. She started the engine and as she drove away she saw on the rear view mirror her parents waving goodbye.

“Alright, kid, how about we make a stop to buy some of those fancy wines your mom likes so much?”

At the store, Emma’s eyes wandered upon the different bottles of wines, wondering which one Regina would like, and Henry recognize one his mother used to have at home, so Emma bought it. Then they got into the yellow bug and drove to the Mayor’s manor. 

Standing on the porch with Henry by her side, Emma rang the doorbell and she still couldn’t believe it. She remember the many times she stood at this door, the heated arguments, the door slams on her face, Regina’s threatening eyes… and that one time Emma cut down her apple tree’s branches with a chainsaw. _Yeah, good ol’ times._

But when the door opened the woman who stood in front of her was another Regina. She had a _kind_ smile that reached her eyes, softly illuminated in the moonlight. 

“Hi, mom!” Henry hugged her as if he hadn’t seen her in a long time, and quickly entered into his old home, leaving the two women outside.

“Hello, Regina” Emma greeted and she handed the bottle almost timidly to her. “I brought wine.”

Regina looked surprised and thanked her, inviting her inside. The blonde went in, awkwardly. It was weird, a thousand times she had burst into this house, not asking for permission, with decision and force, but now that the other woman opened the door for her, she felt strangely out of place. 

“It’s my favourite.” Regina commented about the wine, while the three of them walked to the dining room. 

“Mom wanted to know which one you liked and I told her that one.” Henry answered proud of himself. 

Regina placed the bottle on the table and looked at Emma with half a smile.

“Oh, really?”

“I don’t know much about wines, so luckily Henry remembered you like this one…” the younger woman explained.

“Thanks, Emma. I like beer too, though, if you preferred beer.”

Emma shook her head no.

“I drink beer everyday -– well no, not _every_ day, I mean just, often. I wanted to bring something special for this occasion since, you know, you did promise me I would try some _real_ lasagna, didn’t you?”

Regina didn’t answer. She just looked at her with a smirk.

“Mom cooks the best lasagna in the world – in _all the worlds.”_ Henry beamed. “Even better than Granny’s.”

“That’s right, honey.” Regina answered, caressing his hair. “Go unpack your things in your room. Dinner’s almost ready.” 

Henry ran to the staircase.

“Don’t run up the stairs!” she indicated, loudly enough for him to hear her.

Emma couldn’t help but smile at how extremely careful she was with Henry, and when Regina turned around, she caught the blonde smiling.

"He seems happy" Swan commented, and the brunette smiled as well and nodded, approaching the staircase.

“Come, I’ll show you the guest room.”

“You have a guest room?” Emma asked surprised, following her. She couldn’t imagine the Evil Queen creating Storybrooke and equipping her mansion with a special room to host friends and relatives. Regina must had heard the incredulity in her voice, because she stopped mid stairs and turned around to face her, rolling her eyes.

“I have _empty_ rooms. I used some magic to prepare one for you, before you arrived.” The green eyes looked at her even more surprised. Regina gave her _that_ smirk of hers, a mix between seductive and mocking, and whispered in a low tone of voice: “Or perhaps you were thinking you’d sleep in my bed, Miss Swan?”

Emma felt herself blushing at the insinuation and suddenly realized how closely Regina was standing, only one step higher, and her faces inches away.

“Actually, I was thinking you’d make me sleep on your couch.” She replied cheeky, resisting the urge to take a step back.

Regina placed her hand upon her heart, with an indignant and theatrical gasp, proving herself as Rumplestiltskin’s best student. Then, with a chuckle, she turned around and went up the staircase. The blonde followed, and noticed how well dressed Regina was under the kitchen apron: a magenta silk shirt, a tight black skirt that went mid thigh, and a pair of black heeled shoes. Even with the kitchen apron she looked regal as always. Emma was just wearing her jeans, leather red jacket and a tank top.

They walked through the hallway, passing by Henry’s room – the door was open and he was listening to some music Emma recognized as Neal’s favourite, while putting his stuff in place -, and they reached a bedroom.

“It’s not great, but I think it has the necessary.” Regina commented, turning on the light.

Emma stepped inside and took a look. It was bigger than her room at her parent’s place. It did have the necessary: a bed – apparently a very comfy one – a nightstand with a lamp on it, a closet, and a big window from where you could see the street, with some white curtains. She lied down on the bed to test it, and it was like taking a dip into a big, fluffy cloud. 

“It’s perfect, Regina, thanks.” She said from the bed, glancing at the brunette who was standing at the door with a hand on her hip and looking at her with an arched eyebrow. 

“Shoes off the bed, Swan.” She reprimanded.

Emma felt a vibration at the pocket of her jeans, reached for her cell phone and found a text from her mother.

_Hook came home to see you. He didn’t know you went to Regina’s. He just left._

"Shit!"

"What’s wrong?"

"Hook." She sat up, her eyes still on the screen. “I forgot to tell him I was coming here tonight to spend the quarantine… He went to my parent’s place to see me.” She then heard the snigger from the other woman and glared at her. “Regina! It’s not funny!”

“Emma, seriously?” She covered her mouth with her fingers, trying to contain herself. “You forgot to tell your… pirate you’d spend at least the next twenty days in my house?”

“I was too busy talking to my parents and packing things, okay? I was going to tell him, I just forgot in the moment.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, dear, but to Hook… Or not.” She shrugged.

The blonde exhaled in frustration and looked at her phone again, ready to call him.

“I’ll check on the lasagna” Regina excused herself out.

Emma searched for Killian’s number on her contact list and called him, but it went straight to voicemail. _What did he have a cell phone for?!_ When the answering machine indicated to leave a message after the tone, she hesitated a second but hanged up. She would try again later, or he would call her when he saw the missing call, if he deigned to turn on the phone.

“Mom, everything okay?” Henry asked from the bedroom door, and she almost startled.

“Yeah, kid.” She lied with a small smile, and got off the bed. “Let’s go see if your mother needs help.”

They went down the stairs and into the kitchen, greeted by the warmth and exquisite smell of the food being cooked. Regina was squatted in front of the oven, looking inside.

“Should I help you with something, Regina?”

The brunette glanced at her over her shoulder.

“No need to, it’s almost done. And I distrust your culinary skills.” Emma rolled her eyes. “You can bring me the plates from the dinner table.”

The sheriff went for the plates and placed them on the kitchen counter. Regina opened the oven and took out the tray; two pairs of hungry eyes staring at the lasagna.

“Wow. It looks as good as it smells.” Emma commented, not taking her eyes off of it. She had to close her mouth before she drooled. Her stomach made a noise that probably the whole town heard. 

Regina smirked.

“Wait till you taste it, dear.” She started to cut the portions, and gave the first plate to her son. “Here, sweetie. Have you washed your hands?”

Henry nodded, and took off with his plate.

“Oh right, we must wash hands now…” Emma said to herself, going to the kitchen sink.

“Did it take a mortal virus to remind you of a basic hygiene habit?” Regina snarked and the blonde glared at her. “Have you talked to Hook?” she asked after a pause.

“No.” Emma sighed, leaning against the counter, with Regina on her side cutting their portions. “I called him but it went to voicemail… He’s probably upset with me.” 

“Don’t blame yourself, Emma.” She simply said, hitting the nail on the head, because that’s just what Emma was doing. Regina served a generous piece of lasagna on a plate and gave it to her. “It’s not your fault.” 

“I don’t know… Anyway, I’ll talk to him later. Let’s go, don’t want this turning cold.”

The fine tableware was set, and two crystal wine cups waited to be filled. Regina took a bottle of Coke for Henry, who happily helped himself to it (apparently it wasn’t something his adoptive mother let him drink everyday). Emma uncorked the bottle of wine and filled half of Regina’s glass and then hers. 

“Let’s make a toast!” Henry proposed, raising his glass. “To the three of us being together.”

Emma and Regina glanced at each other for a heartbeat and raised their cups.

“And to everyone in Storybrooke staying safe.” He added, and the three of them clinked their glasses before taking a sip from their beverages.

Emma cut a small piece of lasagna with her fork, and the consistence and texture were perfect. When she tasted it, she closed her eyes for a second and let out a small moan in delight. Just then she caught Regina looking at her with a smirk hidden behind her glass.

“Better than Granny’s?”

“Much better. Granny’s is really good, but this one is delicious.”

Regina beamed, her smile showing her perfect white teeth.

“I told you, Mom makes the best lasagna in all the worlds.” Henry insisted with a mouthful of food.

“You were right, kid.” She agreed, taking another bite.

The doorbell rang, and the three of them looked at each other.

“You were waiting for someone?” Emma asked Regina.

“Of course not.” She answered, wiping her lips with the napkin and getting up to answer the door.

From the dining room they couldn’t see the front door, but the sheriff suspected who it might be. And she was right, because Regina returned a moment later with an unpleasant look on her face.

“It’s Guyliner.” She announced and Emma sighed, dropping her fork on the plate. “Want me to tell him you can’t see him now? It’d be my pleasure.”

The blonde shook her head and got up, her lasagna almost intact.

“No, it’s alright. I have to talk to him. Don’t mind me, it’ll be a moment.”

She went to the front door, which was closed and Hook was probably waiting on the other side. Of course Regina wouldn’t let him in. She took a deep breath and opened the door, finding the pirate standing under the porch light.

“Hey” she said awkwardly. Hook just looked at her, his blue eyes full of reproach. Emma sighed and knew there was no need to beat around the bush. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” She noticed his jaw clenching. “Regina proposed it to me at short notice, when she announced the quarantine to everyone at the Town Hall, and since you weren’t there I –“

“Ah! So now it’s my fault because I didn’t go to the bloody Town Hall to listen to Her Majesty’s announcement?” He interrupted, dramatically waving his hook in the air. 

“I’m not saying that. And keep it quiet, I don’t want Henry to hear.” 

"Do you understand, Emma, that if I didn’t show up at your parents' I wouldn’t even know you were spending the next twenty days here?” He whispered.

“I was going to tell you, I just forgot at the moment.”

“You forgot…?” The pirate laughed and sighed, as if he couldn’t believe it.

"When I actually tried to call you, your phone was off. What do you have a cellphone for if you're gonna turn it off?" Emma asked.

"I didn't turn it off, it did it by itself!"

"You're supposed to _charge it_!"

“Well I forgot alright? You know I don't do well with this talking device... And it went off only an hour ago." He sighed. “Look. I know you’ve been busy and I didn’t expect you to come running to tell me. Henry is your priority, and I respect that. But you know where to find me, you could have come to say goodbye before the quarantine, like I tried to when I went to your parents' place.”

Emma noticed he wasn’t just angry but disappointed, and she felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She sighed and cupped his cheek, his stubble rough against her palm. He stayed quiet, looking at her.

“I’m sorry, Killian. I was very busy with Henry and my parents packing, my mind was elsewhere. It’s not that I don’t care about you, because I do. Trust me.”

Killian nodded, and with Emma’s hand still on his cheek, he shortened their distance placing his only hand on her waist and kissed her chastely on the lips.

“We could grab something at Granny’s to go and have dinner at the Jolly Roger.” He whispered as they broke the kiss. “It’s a starry night and we have almost four hours till the quarantine starts. You’ll be already here at midnight, love.”

Emma grimaced, knowing he wouldn’t like the answer at all.

“Regina cooked lasagna… We were already eating. I- I should go back inside now.” She replied apologetically. Hook’s smile instantly dropped. “I’m sorry.” 

“I get it.” He answered, clearly upset.

“Everything alright here?”

Emma turned around to find Regina standing behind her, her brow furrowed, glancing at Hook and then at her.

“Fantastic, Your Majesty.” The pirate answered sarcastically. “Just talking with my girlfriend, since I won’t see her for twenty days.”

“You can keep scolding her on the phone after dinner.” 

Hook was about to answer, but Emma got ahead of him.

“Regina, it’s fine. Go with Henry.” She said calmly and looking into her eyes, letting her know she had the situation under control. “I’ll be right back.” 

The brunette complied, not without throwing one last glare at the pirate.

“Killian-“ Emma turned to him.

“It’s fine, Swan.” He interrupted. “Go eat the Queen’s lasagna before it gets cold. I’ll go to my ship, and maybe we’ll see each other when this quarantine is over, if the virus doesn’t finish us all.”

He turned around and walked away without looking back. Emma felt for a brief moment the urge to chase him, but she controlled herself and closed the door with a sigh, and returned to the dining room.

“Mom, are you okay?” her son asked, worried “What happened?”

“Nothing, kid.” She answered, sitting at the table. “Hook just came by to say goodbye before the quarantine.”

“I’m not stupid, I know you’re lying. Did you guys have a fight?”

“Henry.” Regina warned him, softly but firmly.

“I’m okay.” Emma insisted with a small smile, not wanting to worry him. “Hook got a little upset because I forgot to tell him I was coming here, but he’ll get over it.” She took another small bite of the lasagna, which was already cold.

"I’ll reheat it.” Regina offered, pointing at the plate.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, it must be frozen. It’s no bother.”

“Thanks.” Emma replied, as the other woman took her plate to the kitchen, leaving her with Henry.

“I don’t want you to be sad because of Hook.” Her son mumbled, making her smile.

“Don’t worry, Henry. He’s just a moody pirate… we’ll work it out.” She answered, trying to be convincing not just to him but to herself. “Now the only thing that matters is that we’re here together, and we’ll take care of each other.”

She extended her fist and Henry bumped it with his own, just when Regina was back with the lasagna. Emma thanked her and asked Henry questions about school to drop the subject about Hook. The boy told his mothers that he’d have classes on video call, and complained about all the homework he already had.

“It’s not fair.” He whined, his brow furrowed over his hazel eyes. “I’ve seen a thousand movies about mortal viruses and in none of them there was any homework.”

The two women laughed, and Emma felt relaxed again. They talked about her work and how she would take shorter shifts with David, and about Regina’s, who would do a lot of _home office_ and when she needed to go to the Town Hall she would teleport herself with a violet _puff,_ because what else did she have magic for, if not for that. The Mayor reminded both Henry and Emma the everyday measurements to prevent contagions. 

“Bedtime.” She told Henry when she noticed it was already half past ten. “Wash your hands as I told you. And your teeth.”

“Yes, mom.” He answered with a yawn. He got up from the chair and gave her a hug. “Thanks for inviting Emma to stay here with us.”

“Of course, honey.” She answered and glanced at the blonde, who was looking at them with a smile.

Henry then hugged Emma as well, and she shuffled his hair lovingly.

“Goodnight, ma.”

“Sleep tight.”

The boy went up the stairs, leaving his mothers alone.

There was a silent moment between the two. Dinner was long ago finished, and Emma wondered if Regina would want to go to sleep already. She wasn't tired yet, but now that Henry was gone she felt kind of awkward sitting there just Regina and her. She stared as the brunette elegantly drank her wine, and just then the brown eyes met with hers. Emma looked away and focused on her plate, where the only trace of dinner was some tomato sauce.

“I’m sorry that I made you reheat the lasagna.” She mumbled lamely, looking at the plate.

Regina laughed it off, placing her glass on the table.

“I already told you it’s no bother. It took me literally two minutes.”

“I know, but…” Emma sighed, her eyes still on the plate. “You prepared this delicious meal and I let it freeze, arguing with Hook.”

“Emma.” Regina said, and the blonde looked at her. “Don’t apologize, okay? It’s just lasagna. You didn’t know Hook would show up at the door.”

“Let me at least help you with the dishes.”

Not waiting for an answer she stood up and took the plates to the kitchen, leaving only the two wine cups on the table, and put them on the sink under the warm water, as she grabbed a sponge and detergent.

“You know you don’t need to do it like that, right?”

Regina was leaning against the door frame, taking a sip from her glass of wine, observing.

“I’m not using magic to do the dishes.”

“Not magic…” the brunette answered and pointed with her finger “but maybe twenty first century’s technology?”

Emma looked in the direction her finger pointed and found a dishwasher machine. She snorted and put the dishes inside. She couldn’t get it to work though, and suddenly she smelt Regina’s perfume, the brunette right behind her pressing a button to make it function. 

“Really? I come from the Enchanted Forest and know how to use a dishwasher and you don’t?”

Emma gave her an eye roll.

“First, both of us come from the Enchanted Forest, and both of us have lived _in this world_ for the same amount of years. But I came here as a baby and you as an adult, so you have the advantage.” _And God, you’re old._ But she didn’t tell her that. “Secondly, I never owned a dishwasher because I never lived in a _mansion,_ alright? I was lucky if I managed to pay rent.” 

Regina didn’t answer, just sipped from her glass.

“There’s still some wine and I’m not going to bed yet… You can join me, if you like.”

She went to the dining room and Emma followed her. They refilled their glasses, emptying the bottle.

“Let’s go to the living room. It’s more comfortable.”

It never stopped amazing her how luxurious the place was, or at least that’s what seemed to Emma in comparison to all the places she had lived in. To Regina it must have been even humble in comparison to the castle she had owned a lifetime ago. She sat down on a large and comfy couch and Regina sat beside her (though there were other couches and chairs where she could sit), but keeping space between the two. They stayed silent for a moment, sipping from their glasses.

“I’m sorry that I meddled in your conversation with Hook.” Regina suddenly said. “I hope I didn’t cause you trouble.” 

Emma shook her head, a bit surprised with the apology.

“It’s nothing. I got into trouble all on my own… And I appreciate that you worried.”

Regina looked down to her glass, swirling the wine inside.

“I worried about the lasagna getting cold.” She mumbled, but Emma didn’t need her superpower to know she was lying. “Was he upset?”

“Pretty much. Not only because I didn’t tell him I was coming here, but also because I didn’t have dinner with him.” She sighed, leaning back against the couch.

“If you wanted to go, I could’ve frozen the lasagna-“

“No. I wanted to be here.” Emma interrupted. “Not just because you bothered to cook for us, but also for Henry. Though I understand that Killian got upset because I didn’t choose to spend the last hours before the quarantine with him… and honestly, it makes me feel kind of guilty.”

She drank down her wine, trying to wash away the insecurity she felt opening up, specially talking about her love-life issues with _Regina._ The ex Evil Queen listened thoughtfully, her brown eyes focused on her.

“You shouldn’t feel guilty for choosing what you truly want, Emma.” She softly said.

 _Even if what I want hurts someone I care about?_ – The Savior thought, but didn’t say it.

"Thank you, Regina."

"Oh, it’s nothing. If there’s something you catch when spending so much time with your parents, it’s motivational phrases."

Emma laughed.

“I mean, not just for this. For the meal and for inviting me in. I know you’re doing this for Henry, just as I am, but I’m glad to be here, and not just for him. I’m glad for us, too.”

Regina smiled, and there was a blush on her cheeks that Emma knew had nothing to do with the wine.

“Me too.” The brunette agreed, looking at her. Emma was feeling tired now, the alcohol making her eyelids almost close. Regina smirked. “Time to go to bed, Miss Swan?”

“I’m the Savior. I don’t have a bedtime.” She answered with a small yawn. “It’s just that wine makes me sleepy.”

“Why am I not surprised?” 

“Let me help you with these first-“ she offered reaching for the wine cups, but Regina gently slapped her hand away.

“No need to, I have two hands.” She retorted, and Emma rolled her eyes. “Go to sleep, Emma.” 

“Fine. Good night.”

When she finally went into the guest room – _her_ room – and into bed, she thought it would take her a while to fall asleep – since she was little and in adulthood as well, whenever she moved to another home or slept in a new place she’d spend a long ass time trying to fall asleep. Surprisingly, just as she rested her head on the soft pillow and wrapped herself in the warm blankets, her eyes closed and she fell into sleep. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took my damn sweet time to finish this chapter, but I'll try to update more regularly.  
> Day n° ??? (lost the count!) in quarantine here. It's still Autumn and I don't think it will be over until Spring. It sucks, but oh well. Stay safe and at home x

~~_**Quarantine. Day** _ ~~ ~~_**1.** _ ~~

Emma woke up a couple of minutes before the alarm went off. For a moment she felt disoriented when she opened her eyes and saw she wasn’t at her bedroom, until her brain remembered she was at Regina’s place. _It wasn’t a dream._ She got up and opened the curtains and the window to let the sunshine and the morning air in. She tied the bed and, still sleepy, got out the bedroom and opened the bathroom door.

Except it wasn’t the _bathroom_ door.

Regina was tiding her bed, wearing nothing but a light nightgown, her shoulders, neckline and legs on display. She looked surprised at first, and then her expression screamed _what the hell are you doing here._

“Sure, do your thing, come right in. Don’t knock the door, no.” Her voice was full of sarcasm and thick with sleepiness.

Emma, instead of apologizing and closing the door like any other human being would do, stood there frozen in place, though in her defense she had just woken up and she was specially slow and useless at morning before the first cup of coffee. 

“Oh. Uh. Sorry. I’m still sleepy, I got the wrong door.” Her voice sounded rough and unsure. “I was going to take a shower.”

She felt ridiculously insecure under Regina’s gaze, wearing an old t-shirt and some long cotton pants, while the brunette wore that almost translucent, lovely nightdress.

“…Do you need me to go with you?” Regina asked, and Emma realized she had been staring. Her eyes quickly returned to the brown eyes.

“No, no!” she answered right away, and ran to the bathroom.

The mirror confirmed she looked just as terrible as she imagined; her blond hair a total mess and eye boogers from her sleep.

“There’re clean towels in the closet.” Regina’s voice called from outside, as Emma undressed. “Use whatever you need.”

After the shower and getting dressed and now finally awake, Emma glanced at Henry’s room to see if he had already woken up, but the door was still closed. The idea of going downstairs and facing Regina alone made her a little nervous, but she told herself she was being stupid; it was just a little accident and it’s not like she walked on her _naked. Jesus, that would have been even more awkward._

Regina was making breakfast, wearing a dark blue silk dressing gown that covered her nightdress and a pair of dark blue slippers.

“Do you want coffee? She asked, as she prepared one for herself. “Or tea? Or coco with cinnamon?”

Emma smiled to herself, knowing the other woman had that for Henry.

“Coffee is good.” She answered. She needed the caffeine on the morning. “I’m sorry about earlier… even if it were the bathroom, I should have knocked.”

Regina waved her off.

“At this point, Swan, I don’t even mind… Toast is fine? I guessed you had to leave early. I cut some fruit too.” She pointed to a bowl full of cut fruits on the kitchen island.

“It’s perfect.” Emma sat down on one of the tall stools and helped herself to some toast and fruits. “If you need anything, I can do the groceries when I’m done working.” 

“No need to for now.”

She handed her a mug and winked at her, and Emma noticed the steamed milk and cinnamon she put on her coffee and smiled.

“Thanks.”

Regina returned to the kitchen counter to make her own coffee. It was weird seeing her like this, making breakfast in her dressing gown and slippers. Emma was accustomed to see her in situations much less _domestic_ , always dressed up and with make up on, as if still being _the Queen._ Regina sat down in front of Emma, with her mug of black coffee, and she didn’t look like a queen now, or a mayor, or a villain. She just looked like a woman. She had a natural beauty to her, Emma thought as she observed how she spread cream cheese on a toast, her olive skin clear of make up and her hair a bit tousled falling over her face.

“Did you sleep well?” Regina asked.

“Like a baby.”

“Good morning!” Henry entered into the kitchen, in his pajamas. His mothers replied in unison. Regina was about to get up from her stool to make him his coco, but he stopped her.

“I’ll do it, Mom.”

The three of them had breakfast together and chatted about their plans for the day. Emma forgot the fact that she was having breakfast at Regina Mills’ house; actually, she no longer felt like it was a surreal thing. It felt good, almost natural.

“I should go.” She said after a couple of minutes, looking at the time. She was about to get the dishes to the kitchen, but Henry beat her to it. The kid was in a really good mood. Emma ruffled his hair with a smile and looked at Regina. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll comeback around three.”

After taking care of some administrative matters at the station, she spent most of the day patrolling, sitting inside her beetle going around town, watching who was on the streets and for what purpose. There wasn’t much trouble, a few people that were walking too far away from their homes with no actual justification, so Emma gave them a warning and made sure they went straight home. Strike two would be a penalty fee. Now she was sitting inside her car, absolutely bored. She missed her father’s company. She kept glancing at her pone in case she received any text from Hook.

“Maybe later.” She told herself. “It’s still early.”

At midday she grabbed a sandwich to go at Granny’s – also some of Henry’s favourite donuts- and ate inside the car. Her phone buzzed with an entering message, but it wasn’t Killian’s name on the screen, but her mother’s. _Call me when you can x._ Emma sighed, knowing what she would want to talk about. Since the streets were quiet and it was still her lunch break (and because she was so bored) she decided to call her right then.

“Hi, Emma!” Mary Margaret’s voice answered instantly.

“Hi, mom. How are you?”

“Good, and you? I didn’t want to bother you while you’re working, are you free to talk now?”

“Yes. It’s calm right now, almost no one on the streets. Good for the quarantine, but boring for me.” She took a bite of her sandwich. “I’m during my lunch break, eating a sandwich.”

“Just a sandwich?” Her mother replied, worried. “Emma, you have to eat properly, you can’t have your defenses down at this moment.”

Emma rolled her eyes, but still smiled.

“Don’t worry. Regina is feeding me quite well, trust me.” She answered with a mouthful.

“Everything alright with her? And how’s Henry? Tell him I miss him and to do his homework.”

“I’ll tell him. Yeah, everything’s good. It hasn’t been twenty four hours yet, but for now we’re getting on quite well... How are you guys?”

“Good, but we miss you.”

“Mom, it hasn’t been a day yet.”

“Yeah I know. And tell me… Have you talked to Hook?” _Aha._ Emma smirked. _That is the question._

She told her as briefly as possible about the events of the night before. Mary Margaret listened attentively, without interrupting. If this was David, he would have probably insulted Hook thirty seconds into the conversation. 

“Do you think I did the wrong thing?” She asked for her advice. “Because even though I think he overreacted, I feel guilty.”

“Emma, don’t blame yourself for forgetting to tell him. It was a last minute decision and you were busy talking with us and preparing all your stuff. It’s not like you actually met Hook or talked with him and didn’t bring it up.”

“I know, I tried to explain to him, and for a moment it seemed like we were good again until he mentioned having dinner with him and I told him I was already dining with Regina and Henry… It bothered him that I didn’t grant him that moment, since we wouldn’t see each other for the next twenty days. He left, not even wanting to listen to me.”

Mary Margaret stayed silent for a couple of seconds, probably wondering what to say or how to say it.

“What are you thinking?” Emma asked, wanting to know her honest opinion.

“I think you both have different priorities. Your priority is Henry, so you only worried about him when the quarantine was announced. Hook’s priority is you.”

“He knows Henry is my priority and he respects it.”

“I’m sure he does, but… When you decided to stay with Henry and Regina instead of going with him, it still pained him. You have to understand this isn’t your fault though; it’s perfectly okay for you to stay and have dinner with Henry and Regina if that’s what you wanted.”

Emma sighed, already tired of all this trouble.

“I just wish he wasn’t so upset about it.”

“You can’t please everyone, Emma.” Her mother said sweetly. “Staying with Henry and Regina, you didn’t please Hook. But if you had gone with Hook, you would’ve displeased Regina, who prepared dinner for the three of you, and also Henry. You need to think about what _you_ want.”

She recalled Regina’s words from the night before: _You shouldn’t feel guilty for choosing what you truly want, Emma._

“Yeah, you’re right. I just don’t want us to stay mad at each other. Maybe I should talk to him… But I don’t want to be a burden if he needs time alone.”

“Do whatever you feel is right. If you feel like talking to him, do it. But if _you_ need time to think about it, take your time. It’ll be okay, trust me.”

Emma smiled.

“Thanks, mom. I should get back to work now. Love you.”

“Love you too. Take care.”

The phone call with her mother cleared some of the guilt Emma felt. She understood why Killian was hurt, but it didn’t seem fair that he was mad at her and how he had treated her the night before. She had actually apologized, so she didn’t know what else he wanted her to do. 

In that moment she spotted Rumplestiltskin walking down the street all by himself.

“Let’s see what you are up to, Gold.”

She started the engine and drove up slowly until she reached him, close to the sidewalk.

“Miss Swan.” He greeted her before she could say something.

“Gold.” She replied as she stepped off the beetle.

“Shouldn’t you stay in the car?” The man asked. “There’s a virus around, after all.”

“I’m doing my job.” She answered curtly, but still kept her distance, leaning onto the Volkswagen. “And shouldn’t you be at home? Do I need to remind you that your shop is not allowed to open during the quarantine?”

Rumplestiltskin’s lips formed a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I’m not heading to my shop, Sheriff. You can go and check yourself it’s closed. I’m going for groceries.”

“Groceries?” Emma quirked an eyebrow, suspicious. It seemed more believable to think the Dark One was up to some shady business during mandatory lockdown, than that he was doing something as mundane as the groceries.

“Yes, groceries.” Rumple smirked. “I might be immortal but I still need to eat, you know.”

“And you are the one who does the groceries? Not Belle?”

He snorted, his smirk still in place.

“Belle and I share our chores. I’m the dark one, not the sexist one… Don’t know how’s things with your old-fashioned pirate.”

“Didn’t you obligate Belle to be your maid and clean your entire castle?” she replied, upset that he brought up Hook.

“We had a deal; she accepted, I didn’t force her. And believe me, dearie, she didn’t do much cleaning back there…”

Emma frowned and wrinkled her nose in distaste. She didn’t want the mental image of whatever Belle and Rumple did in the dark castle. Or in the shop. Or anywhere.

“I didn’t mean _that.”_ Gold snorted, seeing her expression. “Well, I have this groceries list waiting, and I can see you’re extremely busy with your work” he snarked and Emma rolled her eyes. “But tell me, how’s my grandson?”

“Good. I’ll tell him you asked.”

“I imagine Regina must not be pleased about not being able to see him during the quarantine.” He commented with an almost imperceptible giggle, like an emotional vampire who feeds from other people’s misery – especially Regina’s. 

“Sorry to ruin your fun, but she’s actually pleased. We agreed to live the three together in her house during the lockdown.”

Gold looked at her, bewildered, and burst in laughter.

“Oh. Good lord. That must be quite entertaining.”

He recomposed himself while Emma glared down at him.

“Are you done? Go do your groceries if you don’t want to get fined.” She got back into the car, not waiting for an answer.

“Goodbye, dearie! Please say hi to Henry for me” she heard Gold’s voice, and then in an almost high voice, with a little giggle: “and to Regina.”

Emma rolled up the window to block his voice and started the engine to drive back to the Mills manor.

The house was in complete silence. She guessed Regina might still be at the Town Hall; being the first day of the quarantine she probably had a lot of work to do. Henry wasn’t around, though. Emma called his name with no answer, checked on the kitchen and the dining room and the living room. He probably was in his room and didn’t hear her call, but for a moment she feared the boy got out of the house while his mothers were at work, so she went upstairs to check. His bedroom was empty, but she heard the sound of the shower through the bathroom door.

“Henry?” she asked, knocking.

“What?” he shouted back, over the sound of the water. 

“Just checking.”

When she turned around she saw Regina’s bedroom door mid-opened.

“Regina?”

When no answer came, her curiosity was piqued. She pushed the door and glancing over her shoulder to make sure Henry was still inside the bathroom – and that Regina wasn’t standing behind her in the hallway – she entered the room.

That morning when she had been at the bedroom by accident, she didn’t actually look at the place. First reason, because she had just stood at the door, not really going inside. Second reason, she had been too sleepy. And third reason, her eyes had only focused on Regina. Now she noticed the decoration and furniture, elegant but not too fancy. A queen size bed that looked too comfortable and soft. A big mirror on the wall, above a wooden desk, and over that desk there was a picture framed. It was Regina, who look exactly the same as now but with shorter hair, and Henry when he was much younger, probably six or seven years old. It looked like a first day of school picture. Regina was hugging Henry, and the kid had a bright smile on his face, showing a missing tooth. It must have been years before he found out his mother was the Evil Queen. Emma smiled as she stared at his face. She felt happy that he actually had a mother that had loved him and cared for him while she wasn’t around and that he didn’t grew up in the system like she did, but also sad for not being in his life during all those ten years. Then her eyes turned to Regina who was brimming in joy, a _pure_ smile on her face and hugging Henry so tightly and lovingly; Emma felt thankful that she had cared for her son for all those years. And even though sometimes she still found it hard to forgive herself for giving up Henry, she was glad that at least that decision had brought true happiness to Regina’s life… What were the odds of the Evil Queen adopting the Savior’s child? Maybe it was destiny.

Suddenly, as being hit with the shame of invading another person’s privacy, she put the picture back in place and got out of the bedroom. She could still hear the shower so she went downstairs to the living room to wait for Henry. It was weird being all by herself in that big fancy house. This was probably the only chance she would get that day to be alone; she checked the time on her phone and breathed in, trying to fill her lungs with courage to do what she knew was right.

“Swan.” Hook’s deep voice answered after the third tone, just when she thought he wouldn’t pick up.

“Hello, Killian.” Words escaped her. The best thing probably was to be honest and straight to the point. “I’ve been thinking about last night… You should know I never meant to hurt you or to make you feel like you don’t matter to me. If I did, I’m really sorry.” There was silence on the other line of the phone call, so she continued. “It’s true that I forgot to tell you I was coming here, because my mind was completely somewhere else and I was too busy, but not because I didn’t want to tell you. And I stayed with Regina and Henry for dinner because she had already offered to cook a meal for us and the kid was so excited, I just couldn’t say no… and I didn’t want to. It’s not that I’m not sad about being away from you for so many days, but right then I just worried about Henry. I hope you understand.”

Another moment of silence and finally he answered “I understand.”

“Great. Because you left really upset last night and I really don’t want you to stay mad at me, so I needed to call you right now. I didn’t want to let another day pass. I want us to be okay.”

She heard him sigh, and frowned. It couldn’t be good.

“You know, Emma… I get that you didn’t want to make me feel bad and that I probably overreacted. I’ve been thinking about last night as well. And I think that what upset me wasn’t just that you forgot to tell me you were going to Regina’s or that you didn’t come to dinner with me…” Emma could tell by the tone of his voice that it was hard for him to find his words. “I realized we’re on different pages. I feel like I’m constantly trying too hard to be with you, to be a part of your life, of your family, and it shouldn’t be that way. I really don’t want to blame you; I know you give what you can, and maybe it’s not as much I would like… But I can’t keep running after you when you drift away from me.” 

“What are you saying?” Emma couldn’t understand what he meant. Was he really bringing this up on the phone?

“I can’t force this any more than I can force the sea tides, love.”

“Killian, you know I care about you and I want to be with you!” she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice low so Henry wouldn’t hear her.

“I know, but-“

“You know it’s not easy for me to open up or to commit” she interrupted, wanting to make her point clear. “You know that. And you know my son and my family are my priority. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t matter to me! Don’t you trust me?”

“I do, love. But I can’t help feeling that we’re forcing something that should be natural… Maybe we need time. We could use a break.”

_What the hell?_

“A break…? Who are we, Ross and Rachel?”

“Who the hell are those?” the pirate asked in confusion.

“Never mind.” Emma couldn’t believe it. She had learnt that time was a precious and invaluable thing that you could never get back. “I don’t understand… You’re breaking up with me? And on the phone?"

Killian sighed.

“If I could, I would talk face to face. And I’m not breaking up, Emma. I’m just saying we could take a break to think, to be apart from each other and see how we feel about this.”

“Don’t you want to be with me anymore?” she asked. She couldn’t understand how _Killian Jones_ was asking her for a god damn break.

“I’ve wanted to be with you since the moment I met you, Swan!” he exclaimed, his voice almost broken. “But I don’t want to keep chasing after you and waiting for something that won’t come. It hurts me. And I know it hurts you too… I feel this quarantine will serve us to realize how we feel on our own.” He added in a softer tone of voice, and Emma didn’t know what to say anymore. “We can’t see each other anyway. If when all this is over we still want to be together, wonderful. I believe it’s for the best.”

Emma couldn’t find the words nor the voice to answer. She was afraid she would break on the phone, with Killian listening - or worse, Henry listening. She breathed in deeply and took a moment.

“Alright, Killian. I don’t know what else to say… I have to go now, Henry’s here.”

“Okay. Take care, Emma. Both of you.” He answered in a sad voice.

Emma wanted to reply _you too_ but she just couldn’t bring herself to say anything else, so she hanged up without a goodbye. She thought she would break in tears the moment she hanged up the phone but she didn’t. She just gave a long sigh and released all the air she had been withholding. Henry should be coming downstairs any moment, so she told herself to keep a smile on her face so he wouldn’t worry. She went to the kitchen and prepared two cups of coco with cinnamon and the chocolate donuts. 

“Mom?” Henry’s voice called.

“In the kitchen!”

The boy came in and saw the box of chocolate donuts on the kitchen island and ran to sit down on one of the stools. The big smile on his face was enough to make Emma forget about Hook and how she needed to fake being okay in front of her son. 

“Your favourite.” She said with a genuine smile.

While they drank their cocos and ate the donuts, Emma asked him about his day and told him about hers, avoiding the Hook issue.

“I talked with your grandma. She says she misses you and don’t forget to do your homework… Oh, and Mr. Gold says hi, too.”

“You ran into my grandpa?” Henry asked with his mouth covered in chocolate.

Emma still found it weird to think of Mr. Gold, Rumplestiltskin, _The Dark One,_ as Henry’s _grandpa._

“Yeah. He was doing groceries, or that’s what he said… What time does Regina come?”

Henry shrugged and finished his coco. He put the mug down, a mustache of steamed milk over his upper lip. “Want to play Xbox?”

“Sure, kid.” His mother smiled. “Let me clean this up first. You clean yourself.” She laughed.

Emma had to admit playing Xbox with Henry was pretty fun and it distracted her from the Hook issue. Both of them were sitting on his bed in front of the television screen, their laughter as loud as the sound effects from the videogame.

“Agh!! I got caught by a zombie! Henry, help!”

“Take out the rifle!” the boy answered, playing at the same time with another joystick.

“The rifle? What riffle!”

“Red button!”

“Shit!“

“Swan, language!”

Emma turned around immediately and saw Regina standing on the doorframe, watching her with a disapproving face and wearing one of her dress shirts with the top buttons undone, black slacks and shoes.

“How long have you been there?” The blonde asked surprised.

“Long enough.”

“It’s still alive! Shoot it again!” Henry warned her, and Emma turned back to the game. “Hi, mom!”

“Hi, sweetie.” Regina’s voice said sweetly.

Emma felt a weight upon the bed behind her. She turned around and found the older woman sitting in the space between her and Henry, watching the screen over their shoulders. This close she could smell her floral perfume and noticed she had her make up on again, like a mask she wore to the outer world – red _matte_ lipstick, eyeliner and a bit of mascara that made her lashes even longer and blacker than they already were. Suddenly those dark brown eyes met hers.

“I think you’re about to get caught by another zombie” she whispered to her as Henry exclaimed _watch out!_

Emma turned around quickly, cursing under her breath. She could swear she heard Regina chuckling right behind her.

As they continued playing, from time to time Regina would comment things, especially directives at Emma. The fact that she got too close to look over their shoulders to the point of feeling her breath on her nape made Emma uneasy.

“Now you’re the Xbox Queen?” she finally snarked at her. “Why don’t you play? Let’s see how you manage.”

Regina snorted and got even closer, brushing Emma and snatching the joystick from her hand.

“Hey!”

“Move aside, dear.” Regina pushed her so she made room between her and Henry. Emma complied, finding the idea of _Regina Mills_ playing Xbox even more entertaining than playing herself.

The blonde got her revenge, laughing anytime a zombie got Regina, or even talking nonsense to distract her from the game.

“Who would imagine the Evil Queen playing videogames” she whispered to her and the brunette threw a menacing look at her, clearly displeased with the use of _the E word_ , before turning back to the game. “ _Ex_ Evil Queen. Forgive me, Your Majesty.”

“Would you shut up already?” she turned around again to glare at her.

“Mom, watch out!”

But it was too late; the zombie had already killed her. Emma laughed and Regina nudged her on the ribs.

“Do something useful and help me with dinner.”

“I thought you distrusted my culinary skills.” Emma answered quirking an eyebrow.

“I’d like to believe you’re able to cut some vegetables. Wash your hands first.”

The two women were at the kitchen making dinner: grilled salmon with salad. Emma was cutting the vegetables in silence while Regina turned on the oven to heat.

“You’re going to chop a finger.” The mayor whispered right behind her while Emma was cutting a tomato, startling her.

“I will if you creep on me like that!”

Regina ignored her and placed her soft, warm hand upon Emma’s, making her tense up, and corrected the position of the long pale fingers on the tomato. With the other hand she grabbed the knife to show Emma how it’s done.

“See? Do it this way if you don’t want to lose half a phalange.” She told her, letting go of her hand and giving back the knife. Emma did as she was told. “Good.” Regina said before returning to the salmon to spice it and put in into the oven, falling back into silence.

“So, any news from Captain Guyliner?”

Suddenly Emma felt the sharp knife grazing the fingertip of her index finger and she cursed. In just a second Regina was by her side, holding her hand up.

“Are you okay?”

“It’s nothing.”

Though it was a superficial cut her finger was bleeding. _Luckily the blood didn’t spray on the salad._ Regina took her by the hand to the sink to clear the blood with cold water. Then she took a clean dishcloth and wrapped it tightly around Emma’s finger to stop the bleeding. 

“Hold it there. I’ll be right back.”

Emma sat on the kitchen counter, damning herself. Now Regina surely knew something happened with Hook, and she really didn’t want to talk about it. Three minutes later Regina was back with a first aid box. Emma almost laughed. Never in her life had she owned a first aid box; if she ever hurt herself with something she would clean the wound with water and soap and hoped it didn’t get infected.

“Regina, I’m fine.”

The older woman ignored her, put the box on the kitchen counter next to Emma and grabbed some sterile gauze and a small bottle of alcohol. She shortened the distance between them, her upper body touching Emma’s legs – which hanged down the counter- and took her left hand to unwrap the dishcloth, finding a bloodstain.

“The bleeding has stopped.” She commented and proceeded to disinfect the small wound softly. “You’re lucky it was just the skin. You could’ve chopped off your finger.”

Emma wanted to insist that it was fine, that she could do it herself, but she stayed quiet and observed as Regina put a band-aid around her finger.

“There. _Now_ it’s fine.”

“Thanks.” Suddenly she realized something. "Why didn’t you use magic, though?"

Regina looked surprised, like she hadn’t even considered that option.

“I just forgot. This was my first instinct. ” She admitted, and Emma could swear the brunette was _blushing_. “I think it’s because during the ten years since I adopted Henry I couldn’t use magic, so this is how I cured him whenever he got hurt with something.”

Emma smiled, finding that answer really sweet and remembering the picture in Regina’s bedroom.

“Thank you for taking care of him during all these years. I’m glad you found each other.”

The pink on Regina’s cheeks became more evident and she returned a little smile of her own. Emma suddenly realized how close they were and Regina must have felt the same, because in a moment she was backing off and returning to finish the salad Emma was preparing before. 

“I’ve been thinking…” The blonde said, still sat on the kitchen counter watching Regina. “I should help you with the bills and the house chores.”

“It’s not necessary. It’s just for three weeks.”

“We don’t know that. The quarantine could extend, you said so yourself.” She insisted. She felt awkward knowing Regina was paying for everything. “Still, three weeks is almost a month. We should split fifty-fifty, we’re three and Henry is both our son.”

“Yes, but I’m the Mayor, dear. I can handle one more person living under my roof. You can help me doing the dishes when I cook, or doing groceries if I’m with too much work… Oh, and you can maw the yawn, I hate that.”

“Fine. But when I do the groceries, I pay. I’m not going around with your money like a kid running errands.”

Regina snorted.

“As you wish.” She looked into the oven. “You can help me now setting the table, this is almost ready.”

Dinner was uneventful. Regina and Henry did most of the talking. Emma was very quiet; now that she was sitting at the dinner table she couldn’t help thinking about her argument with Killian. She intervened with a comment or a question when she realized she had been silent for a while. Henry asked what happened to her finger and she answered without giving it much importance or getting into the details, and changed the subject telling Regina the food was delicious – which was true, though she didn’t have much appetite that night and she had to force herself to finish her meal. 

Some minutes after they finished dinner, Emma excused herself saying she would do the dishes since Regina cooked, but the woman and their son followed her to the kitchen. She put everything in the dishwasher and they had some fruit salad that was left from breakfast, for dessert. When the dishwasher stopped Henry wanted to help her putting the clean tableware in place, but Emma sent him to bed.

“Go, honey.” Regina told him as well, kissing him on the top of his head.

The boy obeyed and left them alone in the kitchen. As Emma put away the dishes, Regina washed on the sink the few things they used for dessert.

“If you cook I clean, remember?” Emma pointed.

“Well, you did help me with the salad.” There was a moment of silence until she closed the faucet. “Emma.”

When she heard her name the younger woman met her gaze.

“Are you okay?” Regina asked.

Emma cursed her ex nemesis’ ability to read her mood. She thought she saw an expression of concern in her eyes, and for an instant she felt the need to tell her _no, I’m not okay._ Perhaps Regina would give her some comfort, the way she took care of her injured finger. 

This wasn’t a cut on her finger though, but a wound in her heart, and she couldn’t let Regina see it, much less try to heal it.

“Yes, I’m fine.” She lied. “I’m just tired. I should go to bed.”

“I don’t have your superpower but I can tell when you’re lying to me.” Regina told her. “If something happened—“

“I said I’m fine!” Emma snapped at her. She instantly regretted her outburst when she saw the hurt in those brown eyes. “I- I’m sorry, Regina.” She apologized, softening her voice and her facial features. Regina looked away, biting on her bottom lip, and for a moment Emma feared the brunette got mad at her. “I didn’t have a good day, that’s all. I just need some sleep.”

“Alright. I didn’t mean to pry.” She answered, looking at her. “I’m here if you need to talk”

Emma nodded.

Finally in bed and _alone,_ she felt the anguish in her gut. Even though being with Henry made her happy and she was enjoying Regina’s company, since she spoke with Hook on the phone she hadn’t had a moment to herself and she desperately needed it. Emma cried a few tears in silence, in the dark of the bedroom. 

Just a moment later she had to repress herself when the sobs threatened to come out, gulping them down in fear that Henry or Regina would hear. She hid under the covers like she did when she was only a girl. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe my last update was IN JUNE! This bloody quarantine makes me lose track of time. And I said I'd try to update more regularly lmao guess I can't be trusted.

**~~_Quarantine. Day 3._ ~~ **

The white tube lights. The smell of antiseptic. The mask covering half her face. And suddenly, red leather. Golden hair. Green eyes.

Emma appeared once again, in her mind’s eye. 

It was the third day of quarantine, Regina was in the middle of a meeting with the hospital’s director and she couldn’t stop thinking about Emma’s attitude from the day before, when she had walked down the stairs wearing her red leather jacket and dark jeans, while Regina broke her fast on her own. 

_“Good morning. Want some coffee?”_

_“Thanks but I should get going. I’ll grab something to go at Granny’s.” The sheriff had answered, glancing at her watch, and disappeared through the front door._

Regina tried to forget that scene from last morning and paid attention to what the hospital director was saying. Storybrooke’s hospital needed more infrastructure, more workers and was Emma avoiding her? Had she made her uncomfortable the other night, prying about Hook? _Yeah, yeah, more health expenditure is needed._ The mayor nodded while the man talked. _She was already gone when I woke up… is she really getting up earlier just to avoid me?_ Regina almost snorted. She was sure something wrong happened with Hook. Surely the pirate made another scene and Emma was feeling guilty again. Or maybe she finally opened her eyes and broke up with him. Regina only hoped they didn’t meet in person; if Emma was putting their health and Henry’s at risk, breaking the quarantine just to see that dirty pirate… The hospital director kept talking and from time to time the mayor managed to catch some words he said. It’s not that she didn’t take her job seriously during such a sanitary crisis, but the man wasn’t saying anything new honestly, nothing that she hadn’t heard the last couple of days. Also, it wasn’t like she chose to think about Emma; the woman just showed up in her head. _Go away, Miss Swan_ she wanted to command her, or actually to command herself to stop thinking about her, but the blonde’s quiet and crestfallen attitude during the last two days was so out of character that it was impossible for it to go unnoticed. She didn’t talk much, ate little, and judging by the dark circles under her eyes, slept almost nothing. Regina was getting worried, mostly because of Henry. The poor thing had told her last night, after Emma had gone to bed early, that he was worried about her and didn’t know how to cheer her up. So she proposed to him a plan which she called _Operation Swan._ Henry thought the name was “kinda lame”, but he accepted. 

There were seven hours left.

…

It was almost noon when the meeting finished and the mayor’s stomach was already grumbling. There was no chance that she would eat whatever rubbish the hospital cafeteria served, so she stopped at Granny’s before heading to the Town Hall. It was odd seeing the usually busy diner almost empty and silent, except for the jukebox playing and Ruby behind the counter, wearing a mask and disposable gloves.

“Hello. I’ll take a Caesar salad to go, please.”

Ruby nodded and shouted out the order to her grandmother, who was back at the kitchen. 

“Has Miss Swan been around here this morning?” Regina asked, casually. 

“You don’t serve breakfast to her, Madam Mayor?” 

Regina looked at the tall girl, astonished. Apparently, the whole town must know by then Emma was living in her house.

“Me, _serve her?”_

“I’m just kidding. Emma already told me your lasagna competes with ours.” _Competes?_ Regina snorted. “No, Emma came yesterday but not today.”

_Stupid Emma. Whatever. If she passes out because she hasn’t eaten all day it’s not my problem. She’s a big girl._

“Give me a grilled cheese as well. I’m starving today.”

“Sure you are.” Ruby seemed to chuckle – it was hard to tell with the mask covering her mouth. She turned around and shouted out the order to Granny. “Emma’s grilled cheese!”

Thankfully half of Regina’s face was also covered by a mask, because she felt her cheeks on fire. 

…

Before she went to the sheriff station, Regina magically appeared in her office to grab some documents for Miss Swan to sign. She needed it for yesterday so she couldn’t just wait to get home to give them to her. She _poofed_ herself at the station, her mask still on her face, her purse hanging from one shoulder with the documents inside of it, and both hers and Emma’s lunches inside a paper bag from Granny’s. Emma had brought lunch to her office before, so she might as well return the gesture this time. 

The green eyes and blond hair she saw when she arrived weren’t Emma’s, though.

“David?” she asked, surprised. “Where’s Emma?”

“Hi Regina, I’m good, thanks for asking.” The not so charming prince answered sarcastically, sitting behind the computer. The mayor rolled her eyes. “She didn’t tell you? I took the morning shift today and she takes the afternoon shift.” 

Regina shook her head no. _I guess there are many things Emma isn’t telling me._

“I need her to sign these.” She sighed, putting the files on the desk. “Please tell her to bring them today to my office.” Hesitantly, she also put the sandwich container on the desk. “You can eat this, I guess.”

“Aww, you bought me lunch? How nice of you, Regina!” Charming joked. “Although I’ve already eaten, and since this is Emma’s favourite I’ll save it for her, if you don’t mind.”

“Whatever. Just don’t tell her _I_ got it. I don’t want her to think I’m controlling whether she eats or that I worry.”

“Why? Is anything wrong?”

“She just seems a little down, probably because of another fight with Hook.” She answered casually, turning around to leave. 

“What? They had a fight?”

Regina stopped and looked at David’s confused face and cursed herself. 

“Oh, I thought you knew…”

“I know that Hook showed up at your door three nights ago and they had a discussion, but Emma said she would talk to him later and fix it…”

“Maybe she did. She didn’t really tell me anything. When I asked her about it she dropped the subject and she’s been kind of avoiding me for the last two days, so I guess something happened but I don’t know for certain… Don’t tell her anything or she’s going to kill me.” 

He frowned in worry. “I swear if he breaks her heart I’ll break his other hand.”

 _That’s some show I’d pay to watch._ “She’ll be fine, David. She’s not alone. She has Henry… and me.”

David sighed and nodded. “Thanks, Regina.”

“And don’t say anything to Snow.” She warned him before leaving. “We already know what happened the last time I asked her to keep her mouth shut.”

_…_

Time passed slowly alone in her office, reading and signing papers. Her only company was the tic-tac of the clock. She glanced at the hour, promising that today she would leave at five in order to have enough time to prepare _Operation Swan_ before Emma got home. 

And right then, as if she had summoned her just by thinking of her, the door opened and Emma burst in, throwing on the desk the files she had left for her to sign at the sheriff station. Regina looked up, finding the green eyes under a furrowed brow and her face half covered by a mask. 

“Thanks?” She answered, confused at the aggressiveness and the accusatory look on her face. Emma tore her mask off. “You should keep that on.”

“You told David I had a fight with Hook?!”

Regina groaned. “Don’t your parents know how to keep their mouths shut?” 

“You’re one to talk! And I could tell just by the look on his face he was hiding something.”

“It was an accident. I went to the station thinking you’d be there and when I asked him about you—”

“Yeah, yeah, he already gave me the grilled cheese, thanks a lot.” The blonde said sarcastically and Regina felt her face heating up, whether from embarrassment or indignation she could not tell. 

“I didn’t tell him anything. He asked me if there was something wrong and I just said that you seemed kind of down after your argument with Hook, I thought he already knew—”

“Knew what?” Emma interrupted again. “He knew that Killian showed up at your door and that we had an argument, and that I would talk to him later, nothing more. Yesterday I told him everything was fine. I don’t want him and my mother to get worried and insistent on me. And you don’t even know what happened with Killian, I didn’t tell you anything, so why would you—” 

“I didn’t do it on purpose, Emma!” Regina interrupted, getting up from her chair, silencing the sheriff. “You’re right, I didn’t know what happened and that’s exactly what I told David. It’s not like I was making up rumors. You’re reacting as if I did something terrible. What I did, I did it because I worry about you, and so do your parents and Henry. And if you think that by pretending nothing happens we will believe everything's fine, you’re wrong. You’re just pushing us out and worrying us even more.”

She felt a kind of relief now that she had spat everything she had been accumulating on the last two days, but Emma’s silence made her uneasy. They were standing eye to eye, the mayor’s desk separating their bodies. The green eyes didn’t look angry or reproachful anymore. They looked sad. Regina held her gaze waiting for a reaction, hesitating between saying or doing anything or no. The sheriff finally broke the visual contact, turned around and went for the door. 

“Emma—” Regina sighed, but the blonde left without even a glance back. The mayor slumped on her chair, laid her head against the backrest and fixed her gaze on the ceiling. 

She stayed in that position till five o’clock, thinking about how difficult it was to get to Emma Swan. _And they say I’m private._ Regina knew what it was like to have trust issues and finding difficulty opening up to others; it was something the Savior and she had in common and in that sense they understood each other in a way no one else could. That’s why she had believed Emma would let her in and not push her away too. She remembered how not so long ago Emma had made an effort in getting close to her and included her in her family and friends. Thanks to the Savior, the town that once had feared and hated her – the town that the Evil Queen had cursed and terrorized – showed her forgiveness and acceptance. Emma had been so nosey, so incredibly impertinent and obstinate in her goal of helping her, that she managed to win her trust. She was the first person in Storybrooke who showed actual interest in being her friend. 

Maybe Regina had been a little hard on her a moment ago, but she knew it was necessary. She had tried being patient and kind and it didn’t do. Besides, Emma and she had a more direct and cut-the-crap way of saying things. 

_She’ll be fine. She’ll think about what I said and she’ll see I’m right._

…

When Regina appeared home at five o’clock, Henry ran down the stairs excited to get started with _Operation Swan._ She didn’t tell him about her little dispute with his other mother, not wanting to disappoint him, and deep down hoping this plan would help her make peace with Emma. No matter how offended the blonde might be, she surely wouldn’t be able to resist her favourite meal and dessert. That’s what _Operation Swan_ was about; not a master plan or a heroic act but homemade pizza and cheesecake and craft beer. Regina felt anxious as she wondered what Emma’s reaction would be when she got home, but her son’s smile as they prepared dinner managed to relax the knot she had in her gut. Luckily the sheriff was doing the afternoon shift so they had enough time to get everything ready for the night. 

As the pizza cooked in the oven, Regina went to her bedroom to get changed. A cotton t-shirt, comfortable pants and slippers replaced the silk shirt, slacks and boots she was wearing. Suddenly while she cleaned the make-up off her face, a thought passed her mind: she felt comfortable about letting Emma see her like this, natural. Excepting Henry, to the rest of the world she always presented herself immaculate, whether in her role of Evil Queen or Madame Mayor. But now, with Emma in her home, she didn’t feel like she had to show anything. She could just let herself be seen. 

The echoes of Henry’s and Emma’s voices reached her ears, and casting one last glance at _Regina_ in the mirror, she exited the bedroom and walked down the stairs quietly. She stopped midway to spy her son dragging his biological mother to the dinner table.

“Henry, what’s going on?” The blonde asked in confusion. 

“Mom and I prepared you something special” he said as he tried to sit her down in the chair that since three days ago became Emma’s chair, but the boy wasn’t strong enough to manipulate her. 

“I gotta wash my hands first… Contagious virus, remember?” 

She went to the bathroom on the ground floor. Regina finished walking down the stairs and went into the kitchen, followed by Henry, and they took the food and drinks to the table. Emma came back and startled a little when she saw the other woman.

“Your favourite pizza!” announced Henry, being the first to sit at the table. “Mom made it, with a little of my help. Right, mom?”

Regina smiled at him and nodded, sitting as well. Then she glanced at Emma, who seemed to be avoiding her eyes. 

“That’s great, kid.” She smiled at Henry, sitting down.

“I know you’ve been a little sad these days, even if you don’t wanna talk about it…” the boy continued and Emma looked at him, perplexed. “I just wanted to cheer you up a bit. It was mom’s idea though; she asked me what your favourite meal and dessert were. There’s a cheesecake too. I also helped her with that.”

“Really?”

Regina didn’t know if that _really?_ was aimed at Henry or her; she didn’t dare to look at Emma until she could feel her eyes fixed on her and she didn’t have much choice than to meet them. They looked gentler than at the Town Hall. 

Emma took the first bite. “I think it beats New York’s pizza.”

“It’s awesome.” Henry agreed. 

“Glad to hear that.” Regina smiled. 

Henry told Emma everything about how he had helped cooking the pizza and the cheesecake; even if Regina had done most of the work, it was kind of endearing how his face lighted up as he boasted about how tired his hands were from all the dough kneading and eggs beating. Both mothers smiled as they listened to him, and for a moment their eyes met before quickly returning to Henry. 

They had a pause before dessert and Regina was about to take the dishes to the kitchen but Emma stopped her and insisted that she would take care of it since both of them had cooked. Not a lot more words were exchanged between the two women, just some comment about mundane things like work or the quarantine. The tension broke a little when they had dessert – also both of them having already drunk a pint of beer. When Emma tried the cheesecake and hummed in pleasure the ex Evil Queen couldn’t help but smile. 

“It’s amazing, Regina. Thanks.”

Henry exaggeratedly cleared his throat.

“Sorry, kid. Thanks to you too.” She paused for a moment and placed her fork on the plate, looking at her son. “You know, you were right. I’ve been feeling sad lately… The thing is I had a fight with Hook. I don’t know if we’ll work it out, honestly. For now we need some time… That’s it. I’m sorry I’ve worried you.” 

While Regina swallowed the cheesecake in her mouth, surprised by the Savior’s unlikely sincerity, Henry got up from his chair and went to hug her. 

“It’s alright, Ma. Thanks for telling me. You know you’re not alone.”

“I know.”

Emma placed her chin over her son’s chestnut hair, hugging him back as if all this time that’s exactly what she needed: to be hugged. Regina was glad that Henry was there because she didn’t think _she_ could do it. She had never shared a hug with Emma. The green eyes suddenly met hers. _I’m also here for you, if you need me,_ Regina found herself thinking, holding her gaze. In an odd way, she knew Emma could tell what she was trying to transmit to her, without the need of saying it. 

…

Emma had gone upstairs with Henry almost twenty minutes ago and still hadn’t come back. _She probably went to sleep as well,_ Regina thought, taking a sip from her craft beer bottle and sitting on the big couch in the living room. _Although she didn’t wish me goodnight before she went upstairs…_ She almost laughed at the irony of that thought; a couple of years ago she and the Savior would exchange multiple insults and now they wished each other _goodnight_ before going to bed. Maybe Emma was still avoiding being alone with her. Regina hoped she wasn’t,, trusting that the special homemade dinner had served its purpose. After all, the blonde had thanked her and had looked content for a moment. And she finally _talked._ Not much, but still, the fact that she admitted to Henry and to her that she had a fight with Hook and was sad about it was a big step for her. Regina wondered if that moment of sincerity was in reaction to hearing her son’s concern, or if Emma felt she owned them that for the dinner — which she obviously did not, but this was Emma Swan —, or if what Regina had said at the Town Hall had hit close to home. Maybe it was a little of the three. 

The sound of footsteps on the staircase caught her attention. She turned her head and saw Emma peeking into the living room. 

“Henry felt like chatting, but he finally fell asleep.”

Regina smiled. Her son was thirteen years old now and the habit of tucking him in was long gone — although she still maintained the goodnight kiss on the forehead — but the boy probably needed some alone time with Emma, after being so concerned about her. Not long ago Regina would have felt threatened if Henry’s biological mother did in her own house what used to be only _her_ task, but now she realized sharing the maternity and care of Henry with Emma wasn’t just tolerable, but nice. It felt right, in a way she could not quite understand. 

“I thought you had gone to bed too.” Regina answered. 

The blonde shook her head. She stepped into the living room, approaching the couch but not sitting down. 

“I wanted to thank you for what you did for me. You know, preparing my favourite meal and cake… That was really nice.”

She looked uncomfortable, standing like a statue with her hands in the pockets of her jeans and her eyes wandering around the room. She had already thanked her for dinner when they were eating, so she didn’t need to come downstairs just to thank her again. _That’s not what she came back for_ , Regina’s intuition whispered. The last two nights Emma had gone to sleep early after talking little during dinner; maybe this time she actually wanted to spend some time with Regina. 

“Join me with a beer.” The brunette said, patting the free space next to her. “I got your favourite. Go fetch yourself one.”

Emma nodded and went to the kitchen. Regina drank from her bottle and lied back against the couch. The knot of anxiety and _concern_ she had felt in her stomach during the day was now gone and replaced with a pleasant feeling when she saw Emma returning with a beer in hand. The young woman sat beside her and took a sip. Although there was enough space between them they were close and Regina felt the warmth Emma’s body irradiated. She could almost get used to it, satisfied with the proximity after two days of cold distance. 

“I think I might be taking a liking to this blond ale.” Regina commented and glanced at Emma.

Emma took another sip and held the bottle on her knee with a thoughtful look, biting on her bottom lip. Regina stared at her until the blonde broke the silence. 

“I’m sorry about how I treated you today at the Town Hall.” She lowered her eyes to the bottle in her hand and tapped at it with her long fingers, the nails against the glass making a _tictictic_ that in another occasion might have provoked a fireball from the mayor. “I was upset and I took it on you. It was unfair… The things you said opened my eyes, you know?” She paused and Regina waited for her to continue. “Henry, my parents and you just try to support me and the only thing I do is push you all apart and worry you more… Even if opening up is difficult for me, it’s no excuse to treat you that way, especially how bad I treated you. I’m sorry, Regina.” 

The brunette gazed at her for a moment in silence and couldn’t help but to feel she could totally relate to her ex nemesis. 

“Emma…” She let out a small sigh before going on. Unconsciously she moved closer and turned her body on the couch to face her. “I know how it feels. I really do. You were one of the few people, along with Henry and Snow, who helped me to trust others and to forgive myself. When the entire town thought I was a lost case, you stood up for me and you took my hand… Or more like you _grabbed_ my hand almost forcefully, and no matter how I tried to break free —and the gods know how hard I tried!”— She exclaimed with a knowing smile which Emma returned, “you never let go. You kept holding tight and pulling from my hand until a day came when there was no need to pull because I didn’t want to escape anymore. Even after all the terrible things I’ve done to this town, after all the pain I inflicted on you and your parents and even Henry…” She gulped, feeling a lump in her throat. Emma looked misty-eyed, and Regina rested her palm over the back of the blonde’s hand. “You never let go of my hand. There’s nothing you can do to make me let go of yours.” 

At that moment, tears sprang into the green eyes and Emma quickly dried them away with the back of her fingers. Regina felt her throat getting tight and looked away to guard Emma Swan’s vulnerability and her own as well. Her eyes focused on the pale contrast of the Savior’s hand, soft and warm under hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

“If you need to talk, I’m here to listen. And if not, I can keep you company in the silence.” She offered after a moment, and Emma nodded.

After what felt either an eternity or a heartbeat, Regina’s hand retreated back to her lap and Emma’s to her beer, bringing the bottle to her lips and taking another sip. Just when the mayor thought she had chosen silence, Emma cleared her throat. 

“I guess it would make me feel better to talk… You know, about Killian.” She said in a hoarse whisper. Regina looked attentively and nodded for her to continue. Emma took a deep breath. “He asked me for a break.”

If it wasn’t for the fact that she actually saw Emma’s lips moving and pronouncing those words, Regina would have thought she had imagined them. 

“What! A break?”

Emma nodded. 

“Two days ago I called him on the phone to apologize if I had upset him, but I told him that I did what I felt was right, staying here with you and Henry. You had bothered to cook the lasagna and the kid was so happy that the three of us were having dinner, and _I_ wanted to stay… So then Killian said he’s been trying too hard to be a part of my life and I wasn’t putting as much into the relationship as he… And that these weeks in quarantine would help us to take a moment and see what we feel when we’re distanced and if we really want to be together again. We didn’t talk after that.” Emma shrugged. “I guess I screwed it all up.” 

“Emma, for the love of God! Don’t beat yourself up.” Regina sighed and paused, pinching the bridge of her nose. _She’s just maddening._ “You do what you can. You have to take care of Henry, of your work, even if you’re not really a hard worker…” That comment gained her an eye roll from the sheriff. “I’ll tell you what probably everybody thinks but no one dares to say: Hook is obsessed with you and doesn’t have a life.” Emma frowned and opened her mouth, but Regina didn’t let her speak. “I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. If he had any family or friends of his own or a _job_ like any folk in this town, he wouldn’t be twenty-four seven after you like a lap dog.” The blonde was still open-mouthed and frowning, but she kept quiet and Regina was sure deep down she knew it was true. “What I’m saying is it’s understandable and even _healthy_ that you don’t give the same amount of time and energy to the relationship as he does.”

Emma sighed.

“I know Killian can be quite… intense. But he’s good to me and he really loves me. He’s always been there for me, you know? He gave up a lot for me. He changed for me. And he waited for me, he was patient. He earned my trust and my family’s as well. We both know how hard it is to earn my trust… It took time, but he became an important part of my life. We built this bond together… And know I’m losing him.”

“Do you love him?”

Emma looked at her, apparently surprised by the question. She paused for a moment and glanced at the bottle in her hand. 

“Y-yeah.”

Regina doubted that answer by the way she stammered and how she looked away before replying. It seemed to her that Emma wasn’t sure about her feelings for Captain Guyliner. Maybe this was the first time she actually wondered whether she loved him. Regina did not understand what Emma liked about a brooding, absorbing pirate who stank of rum. _Good riddance,_ she wanted to say. But seeing the sad look on her face, she knew Emma needed her support and bashing her boyfriend wasn’t exactly that. “Then you’ll find the way to be together again. After all, you’re the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming; fate always favors the charmings’ true love…” She almost rolled her eyes hearing herself saying this, but refrained. _Heroes live happily ever after._ But hadn’t Hook been a villain? And what awaited her then, the once Evil Queen?

Emma looked as sure about true love and fate as Regina: not at all.

“I don’t know, he sounded pretty convinced… And I understand, he deserves better.” 

This time Regina could not, _would not_ refrain herself and groaned in indignation. 

“Oh my God, if you keep saying that nonsense I’ll throw you a goddamn fireball! You’re too good for him, Emma.” The blonde looked at her surprised for a moment, and then frowned her brow and lips as if in disbelief. “Honestly, I’m not just saying that because I’m your friend. Everyone knows you’re too good for him.”

Emma smiled from ear to ear. Regina noticed the crinkles by her eyes and the way her whole face lighted up and knew it was a real smile. 

“So we are friends?” Emma asked.

Regina paused, flabbergasted when she realized what she had said. 

“I meant…” _What, though?_

“Oh no! You said it and there’s no taking it back!” Emma interrupted, luckily, because Regina didn’t know what excuse could explain her slip-up. Then Emma chuckled “You’re blushing!”

Regina felt her face blushing even harder. 

“No I’m not! It’s because of the alcohol.” She answered and the blonde laughed. “What are you, Henry’s age?”

Emma shook her head with a beaming grin on her face and held her bottle in the air, as if for a toast. The mayor rolled her eyes but couldn’t help a smile. _At least I made her laugh again._

“Regina, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Something inside told her that Emma was indeed the closest thing to a true friend she ever had. She clanked her bottle with the Savior’s. 

“Isn’t that a quote from _Casablanca_?” 


End file.
